She is invited to participate after leaving prison for the murder of her father who abused her and killed her mother, becoming an ally to fellow contestant Kang Sae-byeok during one of the games.

She was created by series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, who initially designed her to be a man before deciding during the writing process that she would work better as a woman to improve solidarity with Sae-byeok.

She worked on Squid Game at the same time as the series All of Us Are Dead, requiring her to travel long distances and get into character along the way for both roles.

[6] Lee's performance as Ji-yeong contributed to the actress' rise in popularity, causing her Instagram follower count to increase from 40,000 to 4.7 million as of October 5, 2021.

They state that Ji-yeong's purpose was to demonstrate what happens to a person who has no desire to participate in a society built around competition.

She found Ji-yeong's sacrifice for the sake of Sae-byeok's future "beautiful," and called her a "fascinating" female character.

[6] Gayming Mag writer Aimee Hart found Ji-yeong's death and the "cruel" circumstances surrounding it "excruciating to watch," especially due to how much it impacted Sae-byeok.

"[12] Ewha Womans University research fellow Kim Eunyoung felt that Ji-yeong's story of domestic and sexual violence with her father may resonate more with people than an actual person's story, feeling that it helped highlight the vulnerability women face in society.

They stated that Ji-yeong did this out of gratitude, believing that she did so as thanks for Sae-byeok playing with her, that her being was an "existential gift" and that her will to live was "revived slightly" due to the bond she formed with her.

Digital Spy writer David Opie felt that their discussion in the sixth episode showed an intimacy between them that helped spark this ship.

[15] The Daily Dot writer Gavia Baker-Whitelaw praised Ji-yeong and Sae-byeok's performances, believing that it helped communicate how driven they were both by their trauma.

She felt that this was especially tragic due to her belief that they would have been friends in different circumstances, stating that she was unsurprised by how many people made content depicting them romantically.